Act Two, Scene 1

This is the first scene of the second act of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

BENJAMIN HUGER, plantation owner, about 35 years old
FRANCIS HUGER, his son, about 7 years old
ALICE, Francis’s cousin, about 16 years old
ROBERT, a slave
FERGUSON, a captain in the British Army
Several British and American soldiers

This is a short scene without words that functions as a sort of intermission, although the story continues to unfold.

The curtain rises, and the stage is dark. Dramatic instrumental music begins. A hot, red light slowly illuminates the set: a cotton field. The sound of marching boots becomes louder and louder offstage. Benjamin enters stage left, in uniform, wearing the sword in its scabbard and the blue silk sash, followed by three or four American soldiers. The squadron stops and forms a line. Benjamin unsheathes the sword and raises it. The soldiers aim and fire their muskets. They scatter, running stage right. There is the sound of cannon fire offstage, flashes of light. The lights slowly go out.

The music gradually becomes softer. A cool blue light slowly illuminates the set: the terrace of the house. Alice and Francis are stage right, looking into the distance with an expression of worry. Robert enters through the doors center stage, somberly approaches Alice and Francis. The three look at each other for a moment, Alice falls to her knees, sobbing, Francis remains standing with an expression of shock. The lights slowly go out.

The music gradually becomes louder. A warm, orange light slowly illuminates the terrace. Alice, Francis, and Robert are standing stage left, looking into the distance. Francis holds the sword in its scabbard, still attached to the blue silk sash. The sound of cannons offstage becomes louder and louder. Wisps of cotton float across the scene. The three hurry offstage, stage left. The lights go out.

The sound of marching boots becomes louder and louder offstage. A hot, red light slowly illuminates the scene as Ferguson and a British squadron enter stage right. The music becomes even louder and more dramatic. The soldiers set fire to the decor. The sounds of a fire, crackling and roaring flames. Ferguson and the squadron exit stage left. The lights go out slowly and the music gradually becomes silent.